


Come Out, Come Out

by GalacticTurtleOrange124



Category: Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders, Thomas Sanders (Video Blogging RPF) - Fandom
Genre: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Thomas Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Thomas Sanders, Depression, Dysfunctional Family, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Logic | Logan Sanders - Freeform, Major Character Injury, Morality | Patton Sanders/Thomas Sanders, major feels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2018-12-23 21:51:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11998647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalacticTurtleOrange124/pseuds/GalacticTurtleOrange124
Summary: Ghosts aren't the only things that go bump in the night.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place after the newest video "Fitting In".

**Chapter 1**

**“Monsters don’t sleep under your bed, they sleep inside your head.”**

It was staring at him again. Virgil could feel it and couldn’t take his own eyes off it. The corner of darkness in the darkest corner of his room. Darkness was a part of Anxiety. He put on a dark persona because of who he was. He embraced the darkness with open arms. But this was a different kind of darkness. This sort of darkness had an edge to it like no other. This sort of darkness became an embodiment of feelings – it felt wrong.

The creature had first appeared in a nightmare. A creature that caused him to lose what little sleep he got. A disfigured humanoid with long arms that were just as thin as the rest of its body. It had no hair or skin. Its form was jet black, the thing was made of shadows. It didn’t have eyes, but yet it could see. Virgil had been standing in the dark waters of his dreamscape when the creature had emerged from the depths of the darkness. It had been grinning at him with jagged, rotting teeth. It rushed at him causing the side to fall back only to wake up in his own room, gasping for air in the middle of a panic attack.  

The last few nights had been rough. The same dream occurred. Virgil didn’t sleep. He preoccupied himself with Roman’s endless amount of Disney movies or stayed up late with Thomas who had become more accepting of him as of late. Still, Anxiety didn’t want to bane his host with the lack of sleep he was getting and usually ducked out around midnight. The other sides were just starting to accept his presence as well so there was no need to put everyone on edge again. Virgil lost most of the sleep he had been getting, but he did his best not to let it affect Thomas. He still participated in videos and stepped into the debates when needed. His latest participation took a lot out of him. He was _tired._ He was sure that the viewers noticed his darker than usual eye liner. The extra bags under his eyes gave them that appearance.

Granted, Virgil did feel better about himself and the others seemed to accept his change in style. It was nice – being the odd one out, yet having the others accepting his choices. The bright atmosphere that the other sides provided gave relief to where he had previously been at. After the video ended, he retreated back to his room…with the darkness. Thus, bringing him to his current situation.

Virgil couldn’t take his eyes off of that corner. It seemed as if it was darker than usual which concerned him a bit. He felt…anxious. What could be in there? Why couldn’t he stop staring at that particular corner? It had always been there but lately… He sat against the wall in his bed with his phone casually laying off to the side. Patton had put him in a pointless group chat with the other sides, but the conversation had gone quiet. It was late – The other sides had gone to bed. His sleep patterns had never in tune with theirs. Virgil was awake, but he was exhausted.  

Virgil leaned his head back against the wall while continuing to stare at the corner. He was certain something was there…something watching him watching it. Maybe it was just the lack of sleep and his natural instinct to be anxious that caused his paranoia. Having not slept in days, Virgil was beginning to lose the battle. He began nodding off, his heavy eyes suddenly felt heavier and closed.

_No, stay awake._

He physically couldn’t. He could hear his own heartbeat in his hears at this point – the point between consciousness and unconsciousness. He wanted to stay awake, but his eyes said otherwise.

A thud was heard towards the corner of the room.

**“ _Virgil.”_**

Had he heard that right? Did he just hear someone call his name? His eyes slid open tiredly finding themselves facing the corner of the room once more. His breath caught in his throat. He caught the form of a… the monster hunched over in the corner of the room. It’s eyeless face staring straight at him.

Virgil’s eyes snapped closed and reopened them as fear infested his core. _Nothing was there._ His throat tightened with fear as he gazed around the room. No, that couldn’t have happened… Nothing seemed out of place and there was no monster. He had finally hit the stage of exhaustion that was at the point of no return.

“It’s okay. You’re safe. I’m safe. Okay, okay, I get it. Ugh, this is stupid. I get it, I need to sleep.” Virgil said to himself uneasily as he gripped the fabric of his shirt against his rapid heartbeat.

He hesitated but managed to sink down in his single comforter and lay his head against his pillow. In slight frustration, he turned his back towards the corner and faced the wall. Stupid corner. Nightmares or no nightmares, he didn’t want to start hallucinating about the monster that haunted his dreamscape being _here._ One less problem for him to deal with. He had to at least try to sleep. He had to at least try to get one good hour of sleep. He lay there for a moment but it didn’t take long for his eyes to become heavy again.

Just as he began to drift off again… “ ** _Virgil.”_**

His heart froze. Again. He had definitely heard it this time. He hadn’t been asleep… or had he?

**_“Virgil.”_ **

Anxiety’s entire body became frozen. _Someone was in his room._ He could hear the floor creaking beneath whoever it was as they shuffled towards him. His back remained facing them while his fingers gripped the comforter.

 ** _“Virgil.”_** It wasn’t a voice. It was a whisper. It didn’t have a tone to it. Virgil remained frozen while attempting to keep his breathing in check. He could hear it...breathing behind him. It was a raspy sound, like someone experiencing a rough asthma attack. Wheezing. He could feel it on the back of his neck.

Virgil couldn’t move. He stayed still with wide eyes staring at the wall as he could feel himself being watched. He could feel it watching him – peering down at him like the weakness he was. No, no, no.

 **“Vir-gil.”** A raspy undertone could be heard straight into his ear. A putrid odor followed. Virgil turned immediately becoming face to face with an eyeless face and jagged teeth. The monster was hunching over him, only inches from his face, grinning at him.

Virgil’s mouth opened in a silent scream. His eyes wide with terror and a scream eventually left his mouth just as the creature rose it’s clawed hand to strike him.

**“Virgil! Virgil! Virgil!”**

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**“Monsters are real and ghosts are real too. They live inside us and sometimes they win.” – Stephen King**

“ _Buzz. Buzz, buzz. Buzz. Buzzzz.”_

A faint noise began to bring him back from the void of his dreamscape. Although, his mind was fuzzy, his body seemed to be more involved with waking up than his mind was at that moment. The annoying, continuous sound of his phone buzzing lulled him from his dreamless sleep. Now for normal people, this may be a fairly easy ask, but for Virgil, it was a pain-staking, headache-causing ordeal. The first thing that this mind had registered when the gears began working was the splitting headache that throbbed along his temple. It wasn’t like any of his normal headaches, this one made him feel nauseous. Virgil bit back the bile that was lodged in his throat as he managed to raise his head.

“W-what?” Virigl found that it was hard to move. His body felt as if it was filled with rocks. There was an ache that wasn’t there before in his upper and lower back. It suddenly dawned on him that he was on the floor of his bedroom. He wasn’t certain of how long he had been on the floor and how he had gotten there. His legs were tangled in his bed sheets and he managed to pull himself half way against the bed in an awkward sitting position. The memory of last night’s events were seemingly forgotten.

_“Buzz. Buzz, buzz. Buzz. Buzzzz.”_

Oh right. His phone. Where was it??

Virgil felt around the sheets for a moment before looking up to the night stand where he was sure he had left it the previous night. With a groan of discomfort, he used to the side of the bed to raise his body up. One hand reached up to hold his head as the sudden black dots of doom clouded his vision. He leaned on the bed for support as his own heartbeat could be heard within his head. Once reaching for his phone, he stared down at the screen. Forty-two missed messages from… Patton. Virgil scrolled through the conversation that started way too early in the morning. _Way to early._

It was some pointless conversational group chat that the dad character had put all of them in. Pointless or not, Virgil was grateful that he was invited. By the thirtieth text, Patton began to ask if Virgil was awake yet. Roman was completely doubtful while Logan was looking to the logical side of it. Virgil sighed heavily before typing a reply, “I’m awake.” Virgil didn’t wait for any replies as he lifted himself up on the bed side.  

Virgil shuffled into his connecting bathroom using the surrounding walls for support. His head ache was real. He felt extremely disorientated and he could hear his own heart beat in his head. He leaned against the bathroom sink with his hands resting on the surface. A sense of nausea rushed over him threatening to spill out the bile that had built up in his throat. He groaned as he finally caught sight of himself in the mirror. His familiar bags under his eyes were darker than usual, would he even have to wear eye liner? His eyes were reddened around the edges – the lack of sleep finally making an appearance.  His skin had a more pale complexion than usual, but he wasn’t about to question that. He felt absolutely terrible.

His stomach rumbled. Oh right. Hunger. He recognized the feeling well. But did he want to walk all the way down stairs to eat something? He wasn’t sure about the time but he was sure the other sides were already out and about. He physically didn’t feel like doing anything. Virgil would rather just lay in bed all day listening to music or scrolling tumblr. However, if he didn’t show up for breakfast, the other sides would come find him. Since Thomas had brought them to his room, they had become more frequent visitors. He supposed it was a good thing, however, it got painfully exhausting chasing out Princey who wanted his Jack n’ Sally posters so bad.

Mentally groaning, he would trudge out of the bathroom and clumsily get dressed. Once safely inside his hoodie, he let his bangs fall into his eyes as usual and trudged out the door. Virgil took a deep breath. Although, still dizzy, the hallway felt lighter than how heavy it felt in his room. He let the hinges slam shut behind him. It was odd. Virgil stared at his door for a moment before heading down stairs to the kitchen.

Surprisingly no one was there when he got there. An anxious feeling in his gut wavered. He figured he could grab grapes or something and retreat back up to bed. Virgil headed towards the fridge, opened it, and rummaged through for some grapes. He faintly remembered Patton sealing a handful of them in little baggies for them.

_Creeeeeak._

Virgil froze. He shut the fridge as he took a hold of a bag and looked towards the entrance that connected to the commons where the sound had come from. Nothing. Virgil stared into the doorway, he could just make out the couch and the side table… It seemed a lot darker than what it had been when he had come down. Virgil blinked.

“Ugh, So tired…” He mumbled to himself before wondering to the sink to run him a glass of water. _Just get your snack and go back to bed._

Hell, he was trying too. The sink gave a groan and Virgil sighed. He twisted the knob impatiently. The sink gave a horrid moaning sound before spitting out water. Logan needed to fix the sink already. Virgil sighed and reached for a cup. He set it under the faucet and let the cup fill. After turning off the water, he took a sip while his eyes stared out the window. It was the outside view of Thomas’s apartment – also the mindscape where Roman frolicked through daily. Was he out there now? The outside world looked pretty… dull. It wasn’t the usual vibrancy of color. Did he have something to do with that? Was Thomas okay? Were the other sides okay? He felt anxious. A feeling of despair filled him. He fel-

_He felt a breath of air hit the back of his neck._

Virgil’s entire being froze. A foul odor could be smelled around him. Virgil gasped. What was… Someone was behind him. They were so close that he could smell their breath.  His own breath got caught in his throat as his eyes peered down at the reflection in the faucet metal. A dark shape hovered over him. Fear embraced him immediately.

“ ** _Virgil!”_**

Virgil whipped around, his vision instantly went black and the glass of water shattered when it hit the floor.

* * *

 

“Virgil….”

“Hey, kiddo, come on, wakey, wakey.”

The first thing he felt when he began to come back to the land of consciousness was hands prodding at him. The touch was gentle, not to stimulating but determined to get him to wake up. Gentle or not, Virgil snapped his eyes open with a jump.

“Woah, hey, kiddo, it’s just your dear ol’ dad.” Patton rose his palms up submissively to show him no harm. The other sides didn’t often wake the youngest side up. It was an unspoken rule between the three of them: _Let him sleep because he doesn’t get enough._

“P-patton?” Virgil replied hoarsely as he peered up at the dad character from somewhere… soft. Virgil was comfortable. He realized that he was no longer in the kitchen, but rather, on the couch. Patton was sitting next to him while watching him with glasses full of concern.

“Yup. That’s my name, don’t wear it out.” Patton grinned sheepishly, but it quickly deteriorated the longer he continued to watch the anxious side. “Are you okay? Did you sleep here all night?”

All night? Virgil hadn’t been aware that he had been sleeping. He dry coughed bitterly and pushed himself to sit up the best he could with Patton sitting as close as he was. Virgil peered around the room. He was in the commons. The lights were dimmed and Patton was the only one there.

“Uhm..I..guess so.” Virgil hadn’t remembered coming down here in the first place. Had he been there the whole time? He was more than relieved to find out that everything that had happened was just another twisted nightmare.

Virgil visibily relaxed and gazed back at Patton.

Worried Patton was never a good thing. None of the sides liked to worry the Heart if they could help it, exspeccially Virgil. He wasn’t worth any of that.

“Are you sick? You’re sick aren’t you?” Patton swallowed anxiously and reached out to touch Virgil’s forehead for a fever. His hand instantly retracted back. “You’re burning up! Can you stand? Let’s get you to the kitchen to cool you down.”

“Pa-patton. I’m okay. I’m jus-“ Coughing sputtered out of his throat before he could stop them. “Y-yeah. I’m sick…” Virgil would give in and nod his head. It began to throb again. He considered telling Patton to just leave him there, but he knew that that would never suffice with the dad character. He was in Patton’s care now…and unfortunately there was no way he could fight off the heart that insisted on taking care of him. Virgil sighed…

“Come on, It’ll be easier to self-diagnose you in the kitchen. Logan and Roman are helping Thomas with brainstorming for a video.” Patton would say while holding out his hand.

Virgil wanted nothing more than to go back to his room and attempt to sleep. He felt so tired still…However, Patton wouldn’t leave his side. Virgil knew this and he would let him play doctor until Logan got back to tell him to get some sleep. Virgil hesitated for a moment before taking a hold of Patton. He leaned against the brighter side as his arm reached around his hoodie… The embrace felt warm. Safe. Patton was safe. He had that effect on people. He swayed as he was led to the kitchen, but Patton was there to support him. Virgil wasn’t used to this kind of security, but lately he had been branching out more…

“Huh? That’s weird…How did that happen?? Logan and Roman may have been in a hurry, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to clean up broken glass. Geez! Someone could get cut!” Patton pulled Virgil to safety to prevent him from cutting his feet on a broken glass surrounded by water in the middle of the floor.

“Virgil? You okay?”

No. He wasn’t. Virgil stood in one place with terrified, wide eyes at the mess on the floor. No, no. It…A knot formed in his throat.

_"N-no."_

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**“Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster... for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you.”** ―  **Friedrich Nietzsche**

“And then we could make the poster as bright and colorful as me!” Prince Roman grinned dazzlingly while staring into the distance of his imagination.

“No, I don’t think that would work.

“Oh, shot down again.” The intellectual side adjusted his glasses in amusement.

Roman’s grin faltered. He sight in utter frustration. “Thomas, I can’t help you if you keep shooting down my ideas.”

“He is right, you know. This is how the process had always worked. He gives you an idea, you take interest in said idea and I tell you how it can be done logically. That was the fifth idea I didn’t get to properly analyze.” What is happening here?” Logan stared at the host in mutual frustration.

Thomas glanced to both sides with soft eyes. “I’m sorry guys, I’m just not feeling it today. Roman, your ideas are great, I just can’t wrap my head around any of them.”

“That is physically impossible.” Logan broke in.

“Is anything bothering you, Thomas? Shooting down my ideas is not like you at all – a whopping five!?” Roman would question while staring at his host expectantly.

Thomas shrugged his shoulders. “I’m just not feeling like making a video right now. I haven’t for a few days now. I thought things would be different today, but guess not.”

“The Fanders are expecting a video this week. “ Logan pressed, but was unsure how to process this new information. This was odd.

“They know I’m late sometimes. It’ll be okay.” Thomas replied hesitantly. The last thing he wanted to do was let the Fanders down. But he saw no way he could produce a good video today. He didn’t want to risk giving them a poor quality video.

Both sides made direct eye contact. Both of them shared confusion. Both of them turned to look back at their host.

“How late did you stay up all night, Thomas?”

Thomas shrugged his shoulders again. “I don’t know. I had a hard time falling asleep last night. Joan and I were texting until 2 am.”

“There! That’s your problem! +You’re to tired to make a video!” Roman clapped his hands, satisfied that he had solved the issue.

“Two!? That is a lot later than usual. Thomas, how many times should I have to explain that you need a set sleeping schedule? You must get to bed at a certain time and repeat. An average human being needs at least seven to nine hours of sleep to be a functional human being. Sleep deprivation can cause fatigue, daytime sleepiness, clumsiness and weight loss or weight gain. It negatively affects the bra-.”

“Okay, okay, I get it! Okay. I’ll go to bed earlier today.” Thomas would promptly cut off Logan’s rambling while he flipped out his phone. “I have to go. Joan and Talyn are meeting me at Steak ‘n Shake.”

“You have a bad case of sleep deprivation and you want to go to Steak n’ Shake? Really?”

“Okay, can it, Bookworm. All those milkshakes will give him the energy he needs!” Roman popped in excitedly.

“Sadly, it doesn’t work that way.” Logan sighed while adjusting his glasses.

“Thomas rolled his eyes while listening quietly. He slipped on his jacket and searched for his keys.

“Thomas, make sure you come back early to get some rest. Or else, I’ll have no choice but to sink in and tell you that myself.” Logan clasp his hands together with a hum.

Thomas paused, grimaced and turned to face his intellectual side. “No, no, there’s no need for that. I’ll be home by ten.”

Thomas was well aware that they were just concerned. He absolutely hated when they popped in in public. It was distracting, stressing, and downright rude. The only way any normal human being would be able to see them was through technology, not the naked eye. He assumed that it was how it was for all the sides – but hadn’t ever really thought it out. So when a Fander took a picture with him and caught a side in the photo…man, Fanders went wild.

“Smart.” Logan would smirk lightly and sink out.

“Until next time, Thomas.” Roman would grin, take a bow and sink out as well.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Logan and Roman both appeared in the commons. The room was dimly lit and the TV was left on muted static. _Creepy._ It was quiet – no sign of Virgil or Patton, but it was disconcerting compared to their current dilemma.

“Well that was a total waste of quality time.” Logan sighed heavily and adjusted his tie.

“One would think he would know how to manage his time better.” Roman would add on with a stretch and glance around the room. He was sure that he was the only one that noticed how quiet he was.

“One might.”

Princey sighed heavily before wandering into the kitchen to grab a snack. A prince shouldn’t go hungry after working so hard to make a video. Logan followed him in and reached for an apple from the fruit basket.

“No, not the apple!”

“Ugh, for the last time, Roman. Our apples do not contain a poisonous after taste. If the apple is not eaten, they will rot. It is also physically impossible for us to succumb to poison apples.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do.” Logan stared smoothly as he took a bite of the apple while enjoying Roman’s horrified expression. The royal had become paranoid since his dragon witch attacked him. It left Roman with a nasty wound and caused Patton to lash out with immense worry. Roman was okay, but the amount of blood he had lost would have been fatal if he were a live human being.

“Okay, so I suppose you did okay today. I’m going to go-“

“Sh.” The royal cut him off quickly.

“Excuse me?” Logan rose a brow in confusion towards the creative side. Roman’s eyes were directed behind him. Logan whirled around and adjusted his glasses. What had caught Creativity’s attention?

“I thought I saw someone…” A strange feeling had instantly washed over the creative side. It was a heavy feeling. A feeling that felt somewhat familiar, but not. He felt like someone was standing against the wall by the door frame. He didn’t respond as he moved towards the entrance of the commons while lying a hand on the hilt of his sword. He was absolutely sure he had spotted someone walking past the entrance. “Patton? Virgil?” He would ask out but turned the corner to find… an empty room.

Nothing. Nothing but an empty room.

“And who exactly did you see? If someone followed you back from your mind palace again, we would know about it.” Logan slid up to his side casually, not at all concerned with Roman’s suspicion.

Roman’s dark eyes scanned the room again. He rolled his shoulders and nodded. The strange feeling was gone, no one was here. Logan was right, if someone had followed him back from the creative relm, they would know about it. “I suppose you’re right. My head must still be fuzzy after fighting off that horrendous dragon witch.

Logan rolled his eyes. “Of course I’m right. However, that might not be the case. Thomas’s lack of sleep must be affecting you negatively.”

“Yeah, yeah, I guess so. I don’t think tha-“Suddenly, out of nowhere, heavy thuds were heard above them. Closer and closer until they got onto the stairs. However, the source of the heavy steps was heading straight for them from the top of the stairs. As paranoid as Roman was, he gripped the hilt of his sword… only to find Patton hopping down from the fourth step.

“Patton?”

Morality’s hands were shaking. His eyes were flooded with concern, he seemed rushed and extremely unlike their usual Patton. His cardigan was ruffled and crinkled. Both sides tilted their heads slightly in confusion. “What?” They both asked in unison.  

“Virgil’s sick. He’s throwing up.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3**

**“Monsters don't always lurk in the shadows. Sometimes they hide in plain sight.” ― Belle Aurora**

**_Monsters_ ** _. They live in our darkness, lurking where one can never quite see them. They creep around in the shadows constantly while waiting for a chance to spring.  Any sunlight or bright lights would heed them away. The monster had been dormant for years, but only recently did it become an actual form. **It** wasn't just blackness, it took the form of a being. **It** cast no shadow, made no noise and gave off no odor unless it merged with a physical form. But for now **It** had to remain how it was. _

_Colors. Colors could be seen through the darkness that was enveloping the place “they” call the commons. **It** thrived in the darkness. The environment in which **it** lived in was some sort of distorted, misty form of the places where the sides resided. **It** had always been lurking, but now **It** was being noticed. The brightest colors were a blob that could easily be seen through the darkness. **It** could feel them, but “they” hadn’t been able to feel **It** …. Until the darker side began to notice._

_~~Virgil.~~ _

_The monster stood on the stairs staring down at the sleeping Virgil. **Its** eyeless face loomed over the couch yet its legs remained on the bottom stair. But its plans had been interrupted when **It** had been spotted. The dark side was nearly in **its** grasp. Only time would tell on whether **It** had properly anchored **itself** to Virgil this time. Virgil had more in common with the beast than **it** had intended. Once **it** had the darker side, **it** would have color. Virgil’s color wasn’t as bright as the other colors, but it would be enough for the time being. Virgil’s color would give the monster a better form and grasp of the reality it was trying so hard to sink its teeth into. The darkness would consume the colors. **It** would consume the host. Things were working out well, however it would be harder to consume the colors when “they” were so bright. _

_~~Virgl. Virgil.~~ _

_Suddenly, there was a bright flash that lit up the room. The monster hissed at its vibrancy, but remained hidden on the stairwell. This color was the oldest of them all. It had been thrived within the mind scape the longest, it was the brightest of all of the colors, and therefore it would be the hardest to take over. The beast that dwelled upon the staircase watched the dad figure work hard to comfort Virgil. His Virgil. The beast grumbled in annoyance. Soon, they were on the move. **It**_ _watched the brightest color drag Virgil into the kitchen. The monster followed slowly, lurking behind them in the entrance of the door way. They had their backs turned to the creature as they studied the broken glass on the floor. This is where **it** has almost had Virgil in its grasp. The monster grinned, baring its jagged teeth at the two. The beast could feel the panic radiating off of the anxious side. **It** was being given a chance and **it** would take it. _

_The monster made its move. The slender body stretched until the ceiling was reached. The thin body grasped a hold of the ceiling, slithered across it until Virgil and the brightest color was just underneath. A wavering hiss left its throat as the vibrancy of the bright side laminated his direct target. The monster was unable to get close. But Virgil… He needed Virgil. The monster reached its whispy hand downward and took a hold of Virgil’s shoulder. The monster shrieked in response at the touch and pulled its arm back just as the dark side sprinted back towards the entrance with the bright side trailing after him._

_~~Virgil.~~ _

_The monster quickly took chase. A predator after its prey. The hallway lights dimmed as **it** followed the two upstairs. The creature grinned crookedly as the dark side emptied the contents of his stomach. The touch had a poor effect on Virgil. Good. It would make this easier. Weakened prey was dead prey. The beast was hungry. Virgil was nearly his, however, with the oldest side nearby – the beast was unable to get close enough to latch on.  _

_Suddenly, the waves of the heaviness rotated around the beast. **It** could smell them. **It** could hear them. **It** wasn’t able to taste them yet. The other colors had returned. The beast left the two in the bathroom and slithered back down the stairwell. The other two colors were bright, but not as nearly as bright as the oldest. They would be hard to obtain as well, but it would be worth the treat. The beast lurked against the stairwell while listening in on the two. The beast gave out a low gurgle of frustration as **its** head peered around the door frame. The creative side caught its eye. **It** had been spotted. The monster grinned, although it could not be seen in plain sight. It slithered across the wall again just as the creative side charged into the commons, the intellectual side at his heels. _

_The beast peered down at them from the ceiling._

_The brightest side came barreling downstairs._ _(_ “Virgil’s sick. He’s throwing up.”)

_The rotting mouth reopened showing on his jagged teeth once more. The time was now._

_Virgil was alone. Virgil was unprotected. Virgil was his at last._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche**

Thud. Thud. Thud dum. Thud dum.

Virgil could feel his heartbeat in his ears. He wasn’t exactly sure how he had gotten upstairs or why he was feeling as bad as he did. The last thing he remembered doing was picking up broken glass with Patton. The next thing he knew, he was emptying what little contents he had in his stomach into the upstairs toilet with a heavily concerned Patton hovering over his shoulder.

“P-pat…I…I” Virgil bitterly spit saliva into the bowl. His hands were shaking along with his entire body. His neck was hot. He could feel sweat pooling underneath his hoodie collar.

“I-I’m okay, Pat…”Virgil managed to get out in hopes to reassure the concern dad character.

Virgil felt a cold hand rest on his forehead instead of a verbal response. If it had been anyone else that touched him, they would have been hissed at.

“You’re burning up kiddo. How long did you stay up last night?”

An overwhelming sense of dread boiled at the pit of Virgil’s stomach. In all honesty, Virgil really didn’t know exactly what time he had finally drifted off to sleep. Virgil’s night had been plagued with nightmares. He wasn’t even aware if he had even slept at all. He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know.”

Scenes from the nightmares that plagued his night replayed in his head. The face of the monster appeared suddenly in his mind. Virgil gagged into the bowl again.

“I’ll go get you some nauseas medicine.” Patton would say softly. “It’ll help your stomach and help you sleep. You need to rest.”

“N-no! I don’t want to sleep!” The anxious side would hiss out.

Patton paused. His expression down casted. Virgil swallowed. He hadn’t meant to sound so harsh, especially to Patton. He opened his mouth to apologize but Patton cut him off.

“That’s alright, kiddo, I’ll go get that medicine.”  


“Patton wa-.” Virgil watched with an ashened face as Morality hurried out of the room. Guilt boiled within him. Now Patton probably thought that Virgil was fatally ill. Virgil felt like he was.

Once Patton left the room, Virgil was alone. He slid away from the bowl with his back against the wall and pulled his knees to his chest. The shake in his hands hadn't died down. He felt sick. Anxiety riddled his core.

 _Oh no, no, no, no_! Panic began filling his head. _Please no._ He couldn't lose it now. Patton would be back soon. He gripped his hair while hiding his face in his knees.

_Breath. Breath. Just breath._

He felt like the room was closing in on him. He could feel his breath began to shake and go rapid. He could feel himself trembling with panic as he sat huddled in the bathroom floor. The floor boards creaked and Virgil flinched. Patton. Virgil raised his head weakly but once he saw what was standing in the doorway… His entire world froze. His breathing ceased.

A rotting odor filled the bathroom. The eyeless face stared at him from the door way with parting teeth. Virgil could _see_ it _._ Paralyzing fear washed over him. The monster….was here. It was _real_. Its unnaturally thin form was standing taller than the door frame. Its back was arched and a clawed hand was gripping onto the overhead frame. A gasp escaped Virgil’s throat.

_No, no, no, no, no._

Virgil shut his eyes tightly and reopened them.

Virgil’s heart suddenly made a mad dash to beat out of his chest. His throat felt constricted as ice cold fear paralyzed him against the wall. His face was only inches away from the monster’s.

_No, no, please, this isn’t real. It can’t be real. It was just some twisted feverish hallucination, right? Wrong._

Virgil tried to get up, but his legs wouldn’t work. The blood pounded in his ears. His heart thudded in his chest. His hands shook. His legs tingled. His vision disfigured, as if he were looking through a fish-eye lens. He had to get away. But he couldn’t. He was trapped. He opened his mouth to yell for Patton, but no sound was coming out. The monster parted its jaws causing black saliva to pool out. Virgil let out a small wheeze. The smell of rot was suffocating. Virgil gagged. Virgil couldn’t move. He couldn’t breath.

He couldn’t _feel._

There was absolutely nothing he could do as the monster reeled his head back, widening his mouth.

Virgil’s vision went dark.

Virgil was **gone**. The monster was **gone**. All that was left was an **empty** bathroom.


End file.
